Straxus the Dreaded
Straxus the Terrible (Straxus e Khytaxes Tal'Xaron), also known as the Prophet Emperor, the Dreadlord, the Red King or the Dragon of Light, was the first emperor of the Holy Xaronese Empire and the founder of Xaronism. An extremely powerful esper, Straxus the Terrible believed he was chosen by God to be the founder of a great empire destined to rule the heavens themselves. To that end, Straxus used his military machine to carve out an empire that covered a third of the planet at the time of his death in 64 XE. Biography Early life Straxus the Terrible was born in the Udreki royal palace in 0 XE, the son of King Khytaxes and Lady Maraxa of the Kingdom of Udrek. On the night of his birth, a comet known later as the Dreadlord's Comet appeared in the night sky; the King's astrologers took this event to be an omen that the newborn prince would either become a great king or a great holy man. The King decided Straxus should be a great king and therefore ordered that Straxus was never to be let out of the palace, lest he be influenced by some mystic to forsake his heritage and become a hermit. This proclamation remained in effect until 16 XE when King Khytaxes decided to take Straxus with him into battle, he reasoned that he had permanently set his son on the path to creating kingdoms instead of creating religions. Leaving the palace however had the opposite effect on the young prince. For the first time, Straxus saw with his own eyes the chaos of the outside world and from then on sought to bring order and discipline not just to the Kingdom of Udrek but the entire world. At the same time, Straxus' psionic powers began to manifest. At first, he thought everyone received such powers at his age but soon Straxus discovered that he was the only one with such powers. With these powers, Straxus read the minds of the palace staff and quickly determined that normal human beings were too corrupt and could not be trusted to create the society he had envisioned. He determined that his new order would have to be forced on the people for their own good and with his psionic powers, Straxus had the tool to make his vision reality. The Red King In 20 XE, Straxus decided his father had outlived his usefulness. Using his psionic powers, Straxus drove his father insane with nightmarish visions only he could see until King Khytaxes could stand no more and flung himself from the roof of the palace. King Straxus at once ordered the temples to the old gods to be closed and revealed to his subjects his new religion he called Xaronism. Straxus ordered the old priests to convert to his new faith or be burned at the stake. Many priests refused to abandon the faith of their ancestors and were severly punished by the King, Khet'Udrek was lit night and day by the priests burning at the stake. Straxus soon became known as the Red King both because of the blood-red robes he wore constantly and the amount of bloodshed he had caused in only a short time. Any dissent among his subjects was quickly crushed by Straxus' elite Crimson Knights. Wearing the same blood-red robes as their fearsome master, the Crimson Knights rode through city and countryside terrorizing those who still worshipped the old gods. Enter the wolves While Straxus was establishing his new religion in the Kingdom of Udrek, the Kindom of Shiar to the far north eyed the southern Kingdom of Udrek like a pack of hungry wolves. Believing Straxus to be naught but a callow youth inexperienced on the battlefield, King Ulrixus of Shiar sent an invasion force lead by his son and heir Prince Rojixus, known affectionately by his soldiers as the Prince of Wolves. A leader on the battlefield since the age of 14, Prince Rojixus was an unstopable force in the north and was feared by many. Prince Rojixus invaded Udrek in 21 XE, taking many cities and fortresses on the way to the capital at Khet'Udrek. The Red King and the Prince of Wolves clashed at the Battle of Khet'Khytaxes in 22 XE. Powers and abilities Straxus the Terrible was one of the most powerful espers in recorded history. Despite his powers manifesting at a relatively late age, Straxus quickly mastered his psionic powers enough to drive his father insane at the age of 20. Category:Xaronese Emperors